Why Brahmins hesitate to start a new own business?

[rojatv]

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hai to all..

normally, brahmins are hesitate to start and run the business... they think that is very problamatic?

brahmins are take life safety first... they try to get one job and satisfied to settle the life..

we have the more intelligence to others... but, we does not ready to head the business...

can anyone say what is the reason to hesitate to start the business...

 

[SuryaKasyapa]

hai to all..

can anyone say what is the reason to hesitate to start the business...

the question above may suit not just brahmins, but many other communities also. but as the question is directed on brahmins let us venture in that direction.

The prime initial requirements for starting a business are capital and entrepreneurship.

As the capital requirement for a business is high , and most Brahmins are just middle class or lower middle class status, they were not venturing into business.

Lack of capital can be somewhat compensated with aggressive entrepreneurship. But as a community in general, Brahmins lack this. This is mainly because, hereditary factors, as the earlier generations were also not businessmen and being still lower in financial capacity the high fear of risk was there.

It is also a practical truth that, to be a very successful business, it needs some deviation or compromise with law and rules. In general Brahmins are afraid and averse to this. .

Hence they feel that a bird in hand is better than two in the bush. Thus they tell themselves they are satisfied with what they have.

However, some hereditarily rich (a small minority) had been in business in the earlier generations also. These were mostly restricted to trading in textiles, doing medium size hotels, agency distribution for some established companies. Again it was safe play. Some others were following the conventional area of tution centres, teaching of type-shorthand, small size eateries etc, where capital and risk is not much.

In many households at least the eldest had responsibilities to look after the joint family with parents, siblings , with unmarried sisters. So till all these are solved he cannot take a risk. So in these families, sometimes the youngest may be encouraged to venture into some risky areas, including doing business, etc, as by the time he nears earning stage, the family would have settled somehow.

But as the situations have changed, many present day brahmin youngsters take up business, consultancy. Many middle age persons have entered into catering, wedding arrangements, pilgrimage travel etc. Some are successful in textiles, a few in manufacturing fields. Today capital is better available thru banks and financial institutions, there are many inbuilt protections for business risks like insurance, ECGC for exporters, guarantee for small scale sectors etc.

So the question may become irrelevant in the case of coming generations. This should be encouraged and welcomed by the community.

Greetings

 

[rojatv]

i accept all your points... but, the finance part is very easily overcomed...

but the new generation prefer to go foreign countries and get the job only. only few youngsters try to start a business and successfully continue it.. otherwise, most of them start the business and after some period of time discontinue the business..

because, the lack of business tactics, experiences, afraid and money also..

why we are not should to create fund to help to improve their business thru our community boys?

for example: nadar community and chettiar community.. they are given help in business tactices, experience and money in low interest... so, one nadar boy come to start the business and successfully run the business in very long time.. if the nadar boy fail the business, the community given some amount and take over the business for him, give experience to how to success the business. but, a brahmin boy start the business, we are discourage the boy and do not help him to settle the business sucessfully...

the main problem is, coordination and cooperation has not to come communitywise.. we are always thinking selfish only... not to thinking communitywise... only individual wise...
that's the problem..

for eg: a brahmin boy start the business and work hard to success the business. in that time, how many parents ready to given her daughter to that boy... all the parents are think to get the bridegroom in foreign or corporate.. how many bridegrooms are not married and expected girl in our community... most of them getting age atleast above 36...

so the problem is communal cooperation and coordination..

1.create one fund to help to start the business and improve the business in our community...

2. all of them must contribute some in our community growth in all levels..

3. all of them must participate the meeting regularly and contribute...

4. share the secrets of the business to the youngsters..

that's all

 

[sunderraman14]

The reason 'why Brahmins hesitate to start their own business'

1) They will never get any support from their community or even close relatives. They will be considered as some one who is stupid and doing a big crime instead of going for good respectful employment under a rich 'marvadi', 'seth' or 'baniya' as an accountant or manager.

I am willing to join hands with like minded people to create a 'pool' of funds which can be made available to deserving brahmin members. Similar to how the 'sindhi' community or 'Bohra' community and other business community members have a 'pool' system for their community members to start or do a business.

I invite all the members to start with to 'contributing' intellectually, how we can start such 'pool', and manage. I am sure there are lot of members who are very experienced and have better knowledge to work out a 'master-plan'.

With best regards to all.

Sunder Raman

 

[Ramacchandran]

The brahmins are not experts in greasing the palms of officials.
They fear of God
In business you are to do many unlawful activities, lawfully and he can invest his brain and not money.

He feels that the paapam we do to day will reflect in our tomorrows life.

 

[kunjuppu]

ramac,

i disagree with you. brahmins are as corrupted as any other community, and i know some of the circumstances personally. how many of us grease the palms of the home appraiser so that our property taxes are valued less?, for starters.

running a business is a skillset. for many, it is taught from father to son. but entrepreneurship can also be taught. i think this is where TBs have a chance to catch up with our mercantile cousins. if you do your homework right, there is not much risk - ie risk can be managed.

it is when plunging into business, without a clue, as to how to run a business, how to price stuff, how to manage turnovers, markdowns, promotions - that the business turns a disaster. which is the case with all TB run retail and such small businesses. ignorance. more than anything else is the cause of failure.

to avoid this, forums like this can be of immense value. persons wishing to start a business can match up with folks here, who have had experience, and can thus provide guidance to build a business case, get loans and what not. and yes, bribes.

ramac, let us not holify our community more than what it is worth. we are same as anyone else, and pretensions in cases like this, does not do any good for upward mobility. money is good. to an extent.

 

[nachi naga]

rvr is one good industrialist..tips from him could be a beacon of light .kunjuppu i have greased enuff palms to get my work done,so there you go with my confession

 

[Ramacchandran]

I was running a Leather Industry, invested few lakhs. If you wish to start an Industry you must have 75% of the project money in hot cash in which 50 % of this should be in black!

I bought a shed from SIDCO at Ranipet, and Purchased the machines. only few and met with problems.

The Financiers wanted commission at 5% on the project vale, apart from Charted engineer to certify the machines, an advocate to certify that the land has not been mortgaged and so on.
Then an SSI certificate, Pollution control board Certificate, Certificate from Fire Dept, Inspector of Factories, TNGST Registration No., a guaranty from E.B., that it will supply the required power, a letter from bank that they will release the required Working Capital, a letter from Raw Material Supplier that they will Supply the Raw material at a rate, a letter or an MoU from the buyer that he will buy the finished goods at market price, a letter from SIDCO that they will supply the water for your Industry. Then you are to deposit an amount with bank say for 5 years.

After all these formalities, you will get a shed and you are to Register and submit that to the financier with Insurance, then he will release for Machines. For this you are to get a certificate from a charted Engineer that the Machine that you buy is up to standard condition.

The officer will guide you to over invoice the value so that you get extra money as loan.Apply to EB to get a connection, and let the paper travel for 6 months from Bottom to Top and to p to bottom. (For this you are to pay bribe)

After installing the Machine, and connecting with power DB, and this will take you round the city for a month.

Once you start, the next day you will be in surprise to see inspector of factories and an inspector of ESI, a local PC, an official from Fire dept to check the safety measure, all of them will collect at least Rs 1000 from you, a min but it depends how you handle them.

Once the unit runs you will face labour shortage and you need unskilled labours, skilled labours, Cart to move your product, etc.

Till last week you may be under the impression that you can get number of labours locally, but when you run your factory all the labours will vanish in thin air, and refer that they get 25% extra from other company. Say if a machine operator who was getting Rs200 per day in next company will demand Rs250 + other benefits which you didn't expect and that will rise the production cost.

the Attender of the Sales Tax dept will come to you and ask the CTO want to meet you, when you go there he will ask a donation for a temple constructed by his fellow men. He will settle for Rs5000.

Then Comes festival Inam, Deepavali, Pongal. Ayudha Pooja, etc., then birth day of leaders, Death of local heads and so on.

I may add more.

 

[Raghy]

Sri.Ramacchandran said -

I was running a Leather Industry, invested few lakhs. If you wish to start an Industry you must have 75% of the project money in hot cash in which 50 % of this should be in black!

I bought a shed from SIDCO at Ranipet, and Purchased the machines. only few and met with problems.

I miserably failed in the same Ranipet Estate area in 1980s....I was too young; less knowledge than I have now ( considering I have very little knowledge now); much less money in hand ( almost வெறும் கையில் முழம் போட யத்தனம்!); ஆண்டி அம்பார கணக்கு போட்ட மாதிரி!

Cheers!

 

[sangom]

Sri.Ramacchandran said -



I miserably failed in the same Ranipet Estate area in 1980s....I was too young; less knowledge than I have now ( considering I have very little knowledge now); much less money in hand ( almost வெறும் கையில் முழம் போட யத்தனம்!); ஆண்டி அம்பார கணக்கு போட்ட மாதிரி!

Cheers!

Shri Raghy, Ramacchandran,

Have you ever pondered why India, with all its very high-sounding philosophy and all the spiritual glories which people praise to the skies even now, is one of the most corrupt nations?

I got a small clue when I first learnt from the vaadhyaar (after my father's demise) that according to the saastra, the soul of the deceased will not be allowed entry into the "pitrulokam" till the first anniversary or "aabdeekam" and till then it will be in the "preta" form only. But if the "karta" also dies (unfortunately) during this one-year period then the father's soul will not get "gati" and special rituals will have to be done. In order to tide over this bottle-neck in the file movement in the astral world, our ancient brahmins devised a method of (advance-booking) doing the "sapindeekaranam" in advance on the twelfth day after death, perform all the necessary rituals on that day and request that as and when this particular "aatma" was to be given entry into the pitrulokam, the ceremony done in advance be considered as sufficient. And, here comes the crucial point, in order that the gentlemen of the jury in that other world (12 or 16, varies from place to place now) who are supposed to determine the eligibility of the atma for admission to "pitrulokam" or fall into "narakam" based on its record of adherence to the prescriptions contained in the grihya/srauta/dharma sutras, are propitiated beforehand by doing the "sodaka kumbham" or sodakumbam in which the jury personalities of the other world are represented by brahmans here and are given clothes, feast, a pot full of water and dakshinai to please them and keep them in good humour. When my vaadhyaar said this, I could not but resisting the thought, "bribing in the other world from here" as well !!

 

[prpsarathy]

HI,

My feeling on brahmins not becoming enterpreneurs are as under :

1. social stigma on self employment - No body will give u girl
2. we are not socially networked well to help each other. It is different that when a brahmin makes money, he ensure that none of his tribes are around them.
3. Most of the brahmins are middle class and they are yet to form a capital to start off the own. Further they get used to the service where you see salary in the account on the month end. [ this include me also ]
4. we are afraid of failures as failures are part of the business
5. Community does not have the concept of helping failing members like what exist in guj / marwadi jains
6. we are not practical and we have to be more amenable including greasing the palms in the early stage of business to get business
7. no community conscious to give business to a new enterprenur [ i did once and got royally screwed ]
8. we donot want to fight the market war is one another reason.

In the same note, i know a lot of second generation kids getting into business as they have the support of the first generation in terms of contacts, money and experience.

 

[asadu]

Best subject of discussion. All contributors have given good reasons and I accept all their comments. I also will encourage anyone who ventures into entrepreneurship. But at what cost. Our community and society does not recognise this sector as approved. So if anyone is bitten by this bug, better do it after marriage. otherwise stand to loose happy married life as no one will prefer you on the marriage platform. ( I am, myself, the example)

 

[Raghy]

Sri.Sangom Sir, Greetings.

Have you ever pondered why India, with all its very high-sounding philosophy and all the spiritual glories which people praise to the skies even now, is one of the most corrupt nations?

Sir, I have pondered many times. I concluded to myself that the high-sounding philosophies and spiritual thoughts have not reached common man or common men of India do not wish to let those thoughts corrupt them! How does the society comment about a sincere person? 'பிழைக்கத் தெரியாதவன்!'.We readily bribe the God, why not the other world? Your example is really nice!

It would be nice to see all Indians wake up one morning with a positive, sincere and equitable mentality. Who knows? miracles never cease to happen!

Cheers!

 

[mswamind]

good comments

 

[Ramacchandran]

Bribing the God is our dream and imagination. The God never ask for bribe. It never ask for a golden Chariot. It is the human who says if he come out of a problem, he will offer an ornament, a Chariot and so on. Few offer 10 percent of their profit hoping that the money earned through back door is a bribe and he can escape.

But if the human offers physical body a living man he will not satisfy but ask for more

 

[nachi naga]

what goes around comes around.its biz to offer and get something in return.veda vyasa screwed peoples thinking by writing,do actions without expecting anything in return.only brahmins can do as what vyasa has written,other personality traits like vaishyas,kshatriyas,shudras always expect something in return,even brahmins expect punyam.so,in a nutshell,we shud grow up as a community,and willfully share our minority resources to the best extent possible.

 

[Ramacchandran]

Normally if there is any problem in the Industry with an outsider will ask 500 percent more than others from the companies run by brahmins. They threaten them so that their need is fulfilled. When there was a meeting at Ranipet , I was asked to pay Rs 5000 for the meeting organized my a political party, failing which the power force will start troubling me.

We must keep our sense out and use our muscle power and hire people. But we can run consulting firms like accounting job etc., such as payroll muster etc.

 

[rojatv]

How many parents ready to marry her daughter to brahmin business man?

Hi to all.

thank you for all to reply my earlier post?... The next ... how many parents ready to marry their daughter to brahmin business man?

A brahmin boy enter in to the business.. he work hard to steady the business. after the business steadyness, he enter the age of minimum 30.. he was not well educated... that boy ready to marriage a girl. he also ready to dont expect the amount and thereafter from the side of girl.

In this situation, how many parents are ready to give her daughter to that boy?

 

[Ramacchandran]

If the boy shows a convey of cars, a sizable bank account and a villa, yes he can get a bride. Even horoscope is secondary. Just publish/ Place an ad, stating that he has a convey of cars, a villa and monthly income of Rs75,000 you can attract bride's side.

 

[mrs.melu]

Brahmins does not have financial & also community backup {which is more prevalent & help overcome initia hiccups, iek other communities.}
Further, when U r aleady starving for a minimum meals in the house, U cannot wait for a business income, which will take a minimum of 3-6 months to pour in,, initial period of gestation..

Firstly we have to develop & encourage cluster units, helping one another & encouraging, within our community, & infact we can have some guidance from other community leaders. Many will think as competition, & never help.. Though all do the same business, they encourage their clan , & infact do the initial startup help too to them..Almost all emoployees of nadar provision shop, { who join when he 7-8, owns a shop by the age of 25..
Trust within the community members is a very big asset, which is more lacking in our community.I feel.

We always see even within our community with a doubt look only--- I feel.

Would like to hear others" views......

 

[T R RAMAMURTHY]

I have seen the discussions. They are very interesting, including the point made by Sangom Sir about corrupting the other world. I have remained in self employment as a practitioner CS for last 14 years. Mr Ramacchandran said about consulting and accounting jobs. Basically these are intellect based. Certainly, some attempt should be made to try out community based consulting firms. Of course, the constraints are the trust that we do not build upon our people.